BRUNSWICK

Coastal Humane Society and Lincoln County Animal Shelter’s new executive director, Trendy Stanchfield, is now on the job.

The board of directors recently welcomed her to the position, filling the vacancy created when former director Joe Montisano left in August 2017 to become director of the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth, Minnesota.

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Stanchfield was raised in Lancaster, Minnesota. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications and public relations from the University of North Dakota. She then spent 14 years working as the regional director for the Muscular Dystrophy Association in the Minneapolis area. Stanchfield moved to Maine six years ago, joining Goodwill Northern New England as their senior director of mission investment.

Working for nonprofits throughout her career, she has helped create programming, raised funds to support mission services, and developed teams across multi-campus organizations, according to the shelter.

Stanchfield now lives in Brunswick with her husband, two sons, and Ermie — the 9-year-old tuxedo cat her family adopted last fall from the Coastal Humane Society. Ermie is amazing, Stanchfield said, but with four boys in her house, “I’m definitely outnumbered.”

The Times Record recently talked to Stanchfield about her new position.

The Times Record: What drew you to the Coastal Humane Society/Lincoln County Animal Shelter executive director position?

Trendy Stanchfield: The type of director they were looking for was exactly what I wanted for a long-term career. I live in Brunswick and have long respected the work they do for animals and for members of the community, so it was a perfect fit!

My kids are always involved with my work life and this makes it easier to teach them how to volunteer and help others (especially our four-legged friends).

TR: How do you stay energized and positive working with nonprofit organizations that rely on very competitive grants and the generosity of donors?

TS: The mission and the people. My entire career has been in the nonprofit arena, and I go home every day knowing that I’m working with folks who are trying to make the world a better place.

I use humor to keep things light and I work hard to ensure that everyone has a voice.

TR: What do you see as some goals the CHS and LCAS can work on?

TS: We are one organization and we need to ensure that everyone knows that. Our goals are simple — provide the best animal care we can and be a community partner that helps fill a need in communities throughout the Midcoast.

TR: What’s the most challenging piece so far of leading an organization that tries to help animals who have found themselves homeless?

TS: There are a lot of moving parts that all require the same amount of attention. We are a lean organization with limited resources, so we get creative and rely on our friends and neighbors to help us.

We have two campuses, in Brunswick and Edgecomb, so ensuring that all staff and community members are on the same page can be challenging.

TR: What has excited you most about the organization and the work you see it doing?

TS: I know we do good work within the shelter walls. I also know that we have more work to do to ensure we are planning for the future to continue to do great work in all of our communities.

TR: What can the public do to help the animals you serve find forever homes and be happy and comfortable in the meantime?

TS: We are always looking for great foster homes, volunteers to spend time with the animals and, of course, donations to help us support the work that we do.

If you aren’t in a position to adopt right now, recommend us to your friends.

FOR MORE information about the Coastal Humane Society, visit coastalhumanesociety.org. To learn more about the Lincoln County Animal Shelter, visit lcasmaine.org.

dmoore@timesrecord.com